Abe asks kids to text him questions

To celebrate the Children’s Day national holiday, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Sunday invited kids to ask him questions using LINE, a popular smartphone application that provides free calls and messaging.

“Working as prime minister, I usually have few chances to talk with children,” Abe said in a message posted for the event. “Any questions — about the job of the prime minister, about me personally, the world, serious ones and soft ones — are OK.”

Kids of elementary and junior high school age were encouraged to text Abe with their questions, according to a message posted by a member of the Abe’s staff.

Abe, however, won’t respond to the questions until a later date, an official said.